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“My Daughter Is Going to Kick Your B*tt!” – Mother AnnMaria Once Helped 17-Year-Old Ronda Rousey Beat Woman Twice Her Age

Published 07/29/2022, 1:30 PM EDT

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One cannot question Ronda Rousey’s credentials in combat sports. Rousey has made her mark in the UFC and she also made a successful transition to pro wrestling. However, before she step foot into these ventures, she was also an Olympic gold medalist in Judo. While Ronda Rousey had a pleasant time at the Olympics, her journey of reaching the same wasn’t easy.

To earn a spot on the US Olympic team, Rousey fought an opponent who was twice her age. Grace Jividen was several weeks shy of her 40th birthday when she met Rousey on the mat. This experience was something Rousey spoke of in detail.

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It was like fighting my mom,” said the then 17-year-old Ronda Rousey. She clinched victory over Jividen in the 63kg category. This win secured Rousey a place on the Olympic team 4 years ahead of schedule. Rousey said, I thought I’d be going in 2008. I never thought I’d be going now. I’m really just in shock. It will take a while to sink in.”

Ronda Rousey’s mother AnnMaria shared her thoughts too. She said, “She went through puberty and came out swinging,” her mother said. “She put on 15 pounds of muscle. Once she started, there was no stopping her.

Rousey’s opponent Jividen said Rousey’s mom came up to her before the match. She said, “Her mom came up to me and said,My daughter is going to kick your b**t.’ I made her work for it. Unfortunately, I made a mistake. I was trying to do a big one (an ippon, a match-ending move). It was a counter- technique”

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Speaking about her remark to Jividen, Rousey’s mother added, “That sounds like something I’d say. Grace and I were on the U.S. team for a while. I love Grace. I do.” Ronda Rousey is known for the success she achieved in her MMA and pro wrestling career. However, the former UFC bantamweight champion had an equally successful time in the Olympics.

Ronda Rousey in the Olympics

At the age of 17, Ronda Rousey was the youngest judoka to qualify for the 2004 Olympic games which were held in Athens. This event proved to be a learning point for Rousey, who had been training since the age of 11.

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Representing your country in the Olympics comes with a lot of pressure. For a 17-year-old to manage the same, can be difficult. Similarly, while there was no doubt about Ronda Rousey’s talent, the judoka lost her first match of the event against Claudia Heill. This loss lit the fire in Rousey, who later won the World Junior Championship in the same year.

While the 2004 Athens Olympics wasn’t her best memory, Rousey realized her Olympic dream in 2008. While Rousey lost her quarterfinal bout against Dutch judoka Edith Bosch, she won her bronze medal match against Annett Boehm. This victory made Rousey the first American woman to win a medal in the sport of Judo.

After the commencement of her judo career, Ronda Rousey realized more success in mixed martial arts and pro wrestling. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion also appeared in movies.

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What do you think of Ronda Rousey’s time in the Olympics? Let us know your valuable thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Varun Bhat

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Varun Anand Bhat is an MMA writer at EssentiallySports. Not only does he train in MMA but he is also a certified judge, which gives him valuable insight while writing content. The fight between Conor Mcgregor & Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 was responsible for making him interested in the sport of MMA.
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Edited by:

Vibhanshu Kumar